THE city government of Dagupan is expected to start building its own fish processing plant hopefully by January next year to be completed and opened sometime in July at the earliest.

The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources is collaborating with the Dagupan City government in building the project, utilizing a financial grant of US $2 million dollars (approximately P82 million) from the Korean government.

Speaker Jose De Venecia Jr., who sourced out the fund, has requested the Korean International Development Agency to now release the fund so that the project can start in January.

Dagupan’s counterpart to the project is the 1.5 hectare lot on which the project will stand, located just beside the National Integrated Technology Development Center (NIFTDC) of the BFAR in barangay Bonuan Binloc.

Dr. Westly Rosario of BFAR said that when fully operational, the fish processing plant will need some 500 workers, all of whom will come from Dagupan City.

“The plus point for the project is that our good market for processed plant will be Korea, said Rosario.

He said that this is the reason the projects must conform to Korean standards as Korea will be the chief market of products coming from the proposed fish processing factory.

There is also the possibility that the processing plant might absorb the shrimps of Zambales province which is producing 600 tons a year, using the white shrimp or vannamei specie. (PNA)